As Democrats Purge Weinstein's Cash, Impact On The Party Is Likely To Be Low

Harvey Weinstein, the former entertainment executive embroiled in multiple allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, has been a dedicated Democratic donor since the early 1990s.

Alexander Koerner
/ Getty Images

Originally published on October 12, 2017 3:20 pm

Updated at 3:20 p.m. ET

As Democratic pols jettison their old contributions from Harvey Weinstein, the former entertainment executive embroiled in multiple allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, his cash is not likely to leave a big hole in party coffers.

Weinstein was a dedicated Democratic donor as early as 1991, when he sent $500 to Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Overall, Weinstein and his former wife and current wife have given just over $1 million, according to Federal Election Commission records processed by Political MoneyLine. About $850,000 is from Weinstein himself. He also bundled, helping to raise an unknown amount of other people's money donated to Democratic presidential candidates.

By comparison, the Center for Responsive Politics says San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer gave Democrats and liberal groups $91 million just in the 2015-16 election cycle.

Despite his frequent checks to candidates and party committees, which raise their money under tight contribution limits, Weinstein never ventured into the deep end of political giving, where America's wealthiest political players write seven- or eight-figure checks to largely unregulated super PACs. And his companies, Miramax and the Weinstein Company, don't appear in federal disclosure reports.

His personal giving was outweighed by two other factors. He was a leader in a famously liberal industry. And as a bundler, he delivered much more in other people's money than he gave on his own. It all led to close connections with top-tier Democrats.

Much of Weinstein's cash went to either the Democratic National Committee or the party's House and Senate campaign committees. But the longest list of beneficiaries — now the longest list of politicians purging his contributions — is on the Senate side of the Capitol. Over the years, he gave to 30 Senate hopefuls — including Weinstein's sole Republican recipient, 2010 Senate candidate John Chachas in Nevada.

Thirteen Weinstein recipients are now sitting senators, and 12 have said they're getting rid of his money. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who got a total of $1,375 from Weinstein, said that she's contributing $10,000 to a women's shelter in Los Angeles. And Hillary Clinton has said she intends to donate Weinstein's past contributions to charity.

Mike Fraioli, a veteran Democratic fundraiser, said Weinstein's exit from Democratic politics won't matter. "There may have been a time when one individual was make or break," Fraioli said, but it's gone. "There's just so much money in the system now."